Fish Cakes, Pies and Coatings
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1
Chapter 5 · Fish Cakes, Pies and Coatings
Skill goal
Bind, coat and top fish so it makes comfortable family meals.
Shopping list for this chapter
The basics
Some of the best fish meals use fish as part of a dish rather than as a fillet on a plate. Fish cakes bind flaked fish with mashed potato and shape it into patties, then coat and fry or bake. A coating of flour, egg and breadcrumbs protects the fish from the hot pan and gives crunch. A fish pie combines mixed fish in a creamy sauce under mashed potato, a family favourite for a reason: it forgives small timing mistakes, and it uses cheaper fish well.
The key rules are the same as for pies in Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 4: cool the filling before topping, and keep it thick, because fish gives off liquid. Use a mix of fish (white, smoked and a little salmon) for the best flavour. For mash see Cooking Skills: Potatoes 1, chapter 2, for white sauce Cooking Skills: Sauces 1, chapter 2, and for boiled eggs Cooking Skills: Eggs 1, chapter 2.
The method
- Use cold, dry mashed potato for fish cakes (hot or wet mash makes them fall apart).
- Poach or bake the fish first, flake it, and check for bones and skin.
- Chill shaped cakes for 30 minutes so they hold together in the pan.
- Coat in three stages: flour, beaten egg, then crumbs, pressing the crumbs on gently.
- Keep a pie filling thick and cool before the mash goes on, or the topping sinks.
| Dish | Fish | Binder or sauce | Cooking (approximate) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fish cakes | Cooked flaked fish | Cold mash | Shallow-fry 4 minutes a side |
| Breadcrumbed fillet | Plaice or cod | Flour, egg, crumbs | Shallow-fry 2 to 3 minutes a side |
| Fish pie | Mixed fish | White sauce | Bake 30 to 35 minutes |
| Haddock and leek pie | Smoked haddock | Creamy leek sauce, puff lid | Bake 25 to 30 minutes |
Hot oil, hot oven and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Raw fish: keep raw fish on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water afterwards, and store raw fish on a plate on the bottom shelf of the fridge so it can't drip onto other food.
Allergens: fish is one of the 14 major allergens, and cross-contact is easy: it can pass on boards, oil, tongs and pans. Crustaceans (prawns), molluscs (mussels, scallops), gluten, milk and egg also appear in fish recipes. Always tell guests what is in a dish.
Try it
Level 1 · Start here
Fish cakes
A way to use up leftover cooked fish or mash. Salmon and white fish together work well. Chill the shaped cakes so they hold, and fry gently so the centre heats through before the outside burns.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 400 g cooked, flaked fish (salmon, cod or a mix)
- 300 g cold, dry mashed potato
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 lemon, zest and juice
- 50 g plain flour, seasoned
- 1 egg, beaten
- 80 g fresh breadcrumbs or panko
- 3 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
- Gently mix the fish, mash, parsley, lemon zest and juice, season, and shape into 8 patties 2 cm thick. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Coat each in flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.
- Fry in the hot oil over a medium heat for 4 minutes a side until golden and hot in the centre.
Hot oil, raw egg and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Allergens: fish is one of the 14 major allergens, and cross-contact is easy: it can pass on boards, oil, tongs and pans. Crustaceans (prawns), molluscs (mussels, scallops), gluten, milk and egg also appear in fish recipes. Always tell guests what is in a dish.
Allergens: contains fish, gluten and egg.
Level 2 · Crisp
A breadcrumb-coated fillet
Plaice or cod in a golden crumb, fried in a shallow layer of oil. Use one hand for dry coating and one for wet to avoid clumpy fingers. Rest the coated fish for 5 minutes so the crumbs stick. Serve with lemon and a mayonnaise from Cooking Skills: Eggs 2, chapter 7.
Ingredients (2 portions)
- 2 plaice or cod fillets (about 150 g each), skinned
- 3 tbsp plain flour, seasoned
- 1 egg, beaten
- 60 g panko or fresh white breadcrumbs
- 4 tbsp rapeseed or sunflower oil
- 1 lemon, in wedges
- Pat the fish dry. Coat in flour, shaking off the excess, then egg, then breadcrumbs, pressing on gently. Rest for 5 minutes.
- Heat the oil to a depth of 1 cm in a frying pan over a medium-high heat until a crumb sizzles at once.
- Fry for 2 to 3 minutes a side until golden and cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper and serve with lemon.
Hot oil and allergens
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Raw fish: keep raw fish on its own board and plate, away from food that won't be cooked. Wash your hands, boards and knives in hot soapy water afterwards, and store raw fish on a plate on the bottom shelf of the fridge so it can't drip onto other food.
Is it cooked?: fish is done when the flesh turns opaque (no longer glassy) and flakes easily with a fork. A probe thermometer reads about 63°C in the thickest part (general guidance). Take it off the heat a minute early, because it keeps cooking as it rests.
Allergens: contains fish, gluten and egg.
Level 2 · Family
A fish pie
The nation's favourite supper. Poach the fish in the milk, use the milk for the sauce and keep the filling thick. Boiled egg and peas are traditional. Cool the filling a little before adding the mash.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 300 g undyed smoked haddock
- 300 g cod or pollock
- 200 g salmon
- 500 ml whole milk
- 40 g butter
- 40 g plain flour
- 100 g frozen peas
- 3 hard-boiled eggs, quartered
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley
- 900 g floury potatoes, peeled
- 50 g butter, for the mash
- 3 tbsp milk, for the mash
- Poach the fish in the milk for 6 to 8 minutes, lift out and flake it, discarding skin and bones. Strain and keep the milk. Boil the potatoes for 20 minutes, drain and mash with butter and milk.
- Make a thick white sauce with the 40 g butter, flour and the poaching milk, simmering for 5 minutes; stir in the peas and parsley, then fold in the fish and eggs gently. Cool for 10 minutes.
- Spoon into a dish, top with mash, rough up with a fork, and bake at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6) for 30 to 35 minutes until golden and bubbling.
Hot milk, hot oven and allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Allergens: contains fish, milk, gluten and egg.
Level 3 · Pastry lid
A smoked haddock and leek pie
A pie with a ready-made puff lid (see Cooking Skills: Pastry 1, chapter 6): quicker than mash, and the smoky fish pairs well with soft leeks. Cool the filling completely before adding the lid, and brush the top only with egg.
Ingredients (4 portions)
- 500 g undyed smoked haddock
- 400 ml whole milk
- 30 g butter
- 2 leeks, sliced
- 30 g plain flour
- 3 tbsp double cream
- 1 tsp wholegrain mustard
- 1 sheet of ready-rolled puff pastry (320 g)
- 1 egg, beaten
- Poach the haddock in the milk for 8 minutes, flake it (no skin or bones) and keep the milk. Soften the leeks in the butter for 8 minutes, stir in the flour, then add the milk to make a thick sauce.
- Add the cream, mustard and fish, season, and cool completely. Spoon into a 1.2 litre dish.
- Cover with the pastry, press to a wet rim, trim, cut a vent and brush with egg. Bake at 200°C (180°C fan, gas 6) for 25 to 30 minutes until golden.
Hot milk, hot oven and allergens
Hot liquid and steam: hot milk, stock and poaching liquid scald badly and steam burns faster than boiling water. Keep the handle turned in, lift lids away from your face, use a slotted spoon or fish slice over the pan, and never carry a full pan across a busy kitchen.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Smoked and oily fish for some people: pregnant women, young children, the elderly and people with weak immune systems are advised to limit oily fish and shark, swordfish and marlin, and to avoid raw or lightly cooked shellfish and, for some, cold-smoked fish. This is general guidance, not medical advice: check current health guidance if it applies to you.
Allergens: contains fish, milk, gluten, egg and mustard.
Experiments
Experiment
Cold or warm potato
Binding.
- Make two fish cakes, one with cold mash and one with warm, and fry both.
Look for: The cold-mash cake holds its shape; the warm one is soft and breaks up. Cold potato is firmer and holds the fish.
Experiment
Flour-egg-crumb or flour only
Crunch.
- Fry one fillet in flour only and one with the full coating.
Look for: The full coating gives a thick, golden crunch; flour alone gives a thin, soft crust.
Experiment
Pie filling cold or hot
Topping.
- Top one small pie with warm filling and another with cool filling.
Look for: On the warm filling the mash sinks; on the cool filling it sits on top and browns.
Experiment
Fresh or dried crumbs
Texture.
- Coat two fillets, one in fresh crumbs and one in dried or panko.
Look for: Panko and dry crumbs give a lighter, crisper coat; fresh crumbs give a softer, more golden one.
Tasting notes
| What I tried | Method or amount | What I saw | What I thought | Will I do it again? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fish cakes | ||||
| Breadcrumbed fillet | ||||
| Fish pie | ||||
| Haddock and leek pie | ||||
| Cold or warm potato | ||||
| Flour-egg-crumb or flour only | ||||
| Pie filling cold or hot | ||||
| Fresh or dried crumbs |
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Fish cakes fall apart | Mash warm or wet, or not chilled | Use cold dry mash; chill for 30 minutes |
| Coating falls off | Fish wet or not rested | Pat the fish dry; rest after coating |
| Greasy coating | Oil not hot enough | Check a crumb sizzles; drain on paper |
| Watery fish pie | Thin sauce or wet fish | Thicken the sauce; pat the fish dry |
| Mash sinks into filling | Filling too hot or thin | Cool the filling; keep it thick |
| Dry fish pie | Fish overcooked first | Poach for the minimum and finish in the oven |
Hot oil, hot oven and leftovers
Hot pan and hot oil: frying fish uses a hot pan and spitting oil. Dry the fish well, lay it down away from you, use a splash guard if you have one, keep the handle turned in and keep children well back.Hot oven and hot trays: ovens, trays and tins are hot enough to burn badly. Use dry oven gloves (a damp cloth conducts heat), pull the shelf out a little before lifting a tray, put hot things on a heatproof surface and keep children away from the oven door.
Leftover fish: cool cooked fish quickly, refrigerate it within 1 to 2 hours, and eat it within about 1 day (2 at most). Reheat only once, until steaming hot all the way through. Do not refreeze fish that was frozen and thawed unless you cook it first.
Checkpoint: can you do this now?
- I can make fish cakes that hold together.
- I can coat fish in flour, egg and crumbs.
- I can make a thick sauce for a fish pie.
- I can top a pie so it browns and doesn't sink.
- I know to cool a filling before topping.
Next chapter
Cooking Skills: Fish and Shellfish 1, chapter 6 is Prawns and Shellfish: cooking shellfish quickly and safely.